ARSONISTS are believed to have caused a fire at Normanby Hall in Middlesbrough last night, Cleveland Fire Brigade have confirmed.
Three fire tenders plus the hydraulic platform attended the scene on Ormesby Road at 8.30pm.
A spokeswoman for Cleveland Fire Brigade said a ground floor room had been completely fire damaged, while the rest of the building had suffered smoke logging.
The fire was dealt with by 9.30pm.
Cleveland Fire Brigade has recently launched a campaign against arson.
About 70 per cent of all fires in its district are started deliberately and last year the number of fires in the area rose by 18 per cent in the school holidays.
Normanby Hall is a Grade II-listed building built in about 1820 and designed by Ignatius Bonomi, known as "the first railway architect" for his work on the Skerne Bridge in Darlington. It was used as a nursing home but was vacated some years ago.
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